


Tomorrow's Morrow

by Gameguy1992



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, M/M, Science Fiction, alternate dimentions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 03:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18401816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gameguy1992/pseuds/Gameguy1992
Summary: In the World of Morrow anything and everything is possible. Space travel, elven magic, programmed synthetic beings, dimensions colliding and collapsing in on each other, lovecraftian horrors, space stations that appear inside planets. Anything and everything is possible in such a universe. Sodele, Rhyse and Arris are 3 inhabitants of this universe. This is the story of their adventures in The Morrow.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks.  
> so this was a sci-fi story i started a while ago.  
> basically trying to build a universe where literally anything could happen and no one would blink twice at it.

He could feel it, the faint hum as several of the microgenerators sewn into his suit began to work. He'd built them, back when he'd first joined the order of mechanics. He'd spent days and weeks building the generators, attenuators, distributors and capacitors that lined his suit. He composed them, wired them, he knew everything about them. Even as that thought went through his head the generators worked, building of a charge of several hundred volts in a matter of seconds before releasing the charge. A split second later his suit flexed slightly, a tiny almost unnoticeable tremble as the electricity rushed through the wiring and towards his hands. In a flash the bolt of lightning arced through the air, jumping from his hands towards the advancing monster he was pointing at. For a moment the bolt of energy seemed to hang in the air. Almost frozen in time, seeming to exist for a second or two longer than he'd have expected it too.

But the picturesque moment ended as the monster he'd struck, howled in agony. Sodele remained silent, watching as the strange dog like creature covered in oozing writhing black tendrils seemed to bubble and boil in response the attack. The black ooze began to quiver and vibrate violently; making the dog creature it was growing from howl in pain. But a second later the howl was cut off as the dog creature exploded, sending a wave of jet black ichor and gore in all directions. He flinched at the explosion, worried that the black ichor might harm him or his suit if it came into contact with the synthetic fabric. But his fears was for not, as the ichor feel just short of where he stood.

For half a heartbeat he pondered what had just happened. He’d assumed the creatures were the result of a parasite; that the dog creatures and the black tendrils were separate life forms somehow fused together. But the fact that they had both exploded from the lightning…..

But a second later he was pulled from his thoughts as three more creatures showed up, snarling and charging towards him, the tendrils on their back flailing and writhing angrily. He moved again, the neural implants in his brain translating his thoughts making his suit activate. This time different generators kicked in, spinning up before discharging their built up magnetic energy. Throwing his hands out in front of him Sodele watched as a wave of energy rushed forward, catching the monsters and throwing them backwards.

The creatures struck the wall of the cavern, momentarily stunned by the concussive force of the magnetic attack. But that moment was all it took. The attacks are rapid fire, a series of loud whistling shooting passed Sodele’s right shoulder. A second later three primitive arrows seemed to materialize out of the creatures bodies making them tense for a few seconds before dying. Glancing over his shoulder Sodele jerked his head in Appreciation at his nearest traveling companion. The companion is question Arris was female, an elf, with shoulder length black hair, tan sun kissed skin and sharp silvery eyes. Even as he watched she ducked down, avoiding one of the creatures that had lunged at her before grabbing another arrow from her quiver and firing it at almost point blank range into the dog monster’s stomach.

A moment later Arris slung her bow, her free hand going to her belt where she pulled out a short glinting metal knife before wrenching it from its sheath and slashing at another monster. But his attention was elsewhere, meaning he wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been. With a jolt Sodele whipped around, his eyes widened as he found one of the monsters had lunged at him and was now only a few feet away. His suit would be useless; by the time it read his thoughts, translated them into actions and built up enough of a charge the creature would be on him. He reacted out of instinct, his arms coming up to shield his face as the creature slammed into him.

Instantly he was knocked off his feet, a yelp of fear escaping his mouth and his hit the ground with the creature on top of him. The creature snarled and snapped at him, managing to scamper closer to his face before his arms and hands reacted. He grabbed the creature, meaning to throw it off of him, only to grunt in frustration as the creature’s oozing black tendrils wrapped around his hands and wrists and refused to let go. Even as he struggled with it the creature snarled, its jaws opening to reveal a mouth filled with dozens of gnarled razor sharp teeth, and even more oozing black tendrils that writhed and wriggled in his direction. He let out an involuntarily yelp of fear at the sight. But a second later the creature let out a yelp of pain as a thick boot collided with the side of its body.

The force of the kick was enough, ripping the creature away from him and sending it flying through the air. A shout of “LEGGO!” echoing through the cavern.

A second later Sodele yelped again as he felt a strong muscled hand grab him by the front of his suit and unceremoniously drag him up and onto his feet. The owner of the hand was his final traveling companion Rhys. She wore a thick dark leather coat, which hung down to just under her knees. Her hair was covered by a swatch of red fabric and her eyes were covered by a pair of ancient looking goggles. At the sound of another snarl Rhys pushed him again, making him stumble backwards until his back hit the wall, but also helping him to avoid the next creature that had lunged at them.

Still slightly dazed Sodele watched as Rhys brought her weapon up, a slightly less primitive device that used explosives and mechanic components to launch sold metal projectiles; and took aim. A second later a deep tumbling blast ripped through the air as Rhys’s weapon jerked and recoiled. In the blink of an eyes hundreds of small metal pellets erupted from the weapon, flew through the air and struck the creature; ripping through its flesh, muscle and bones before reducing it to a quivering and twitching heap.

Suddenly Sodele’s brain kicked into gear and he surveyed the scene before him. Arris was fighting several creatures at once, her blade a complete blur as she slashed, stabbed, parried, and did her best to hold off the group of monsters slowly closing in around her. Rhys was faring a bit better. Her weapon was more effective, each blast followed a rather satisfactory metallic loading sound as she pumped the weapon; readying the next shot.  But there was no denying it, they were losing this fight. They'd need to do something, and fast or they'd be overwhelmed by the little creatures.

Making up his mind Sodele acted. Less than a heartbeat later his suit whirred to life the generators and capacitors quickly working to build up a large enough charge for what he had planned. Even as his suit worked he moved into position, moving back away from his companions Sodele turned to face his friends before shouting. “GET BEHIND ME!”

As he spoke he could feel his suit heating up, a result of his plan. His companions moved as fast as they could. Arris vaulted over the group of creatures that had encircled her while Rhys blasted her way through the creatures. Both Arris and Rhys charged towards him, while the creatures that were attacking them quickly followed behind. His suit was starting to become uncomfortably hot now. As a result the superconductive lines in his suit were starting to heat up, glowing a dull orange before slowly growing in heat and intensity.

The moment Arris and Rhys were behind him he acted, a grunt of pain coming from him as he thrust his hands out in front of him, sending the mental command for his suit to vent the energy it had been building up. Gouts of flames erupted from the palms of his hand; illuminating the cavernous passage they were in with an intensely strong orange and yellowish dancing light. The creatures caught in the flames began to scream in agony, many of them let out agonizing screams before dying and falling to the ground. The ones not immediately consumed by the flames shrieked and howled, no doubt alarmed by the sights of their fellows being ignited and burned up.

The hoard changed direction, rushing back into the darkness and away from the pillars of flames. For several tense moments the flames continued, his suit needing to vent all it’s built up energy or risk damaging the delicate nanocircuitry within. The fire brought with it a feeling of warmth, an oddly welcome feeling since the tunnel they were in was colder than the billowing blustering desert they'd traversed to get here. The gouts of flames were dying lean, the sudden loss of heat making him shiver slightly as the light in the cavern dimmed.

As the last of the energy drained from his suit Sodele turned to look at him companions. “Everyone ok?” his voice sounded oddly shrill in the suddenly silent tunnel.

Rhys nodded while Arris spoke. “I am unharmed.”

Lowering his arms Sodele turned, watching as Arris resheathed her short sword while Rhys dug ammunition from a pouch before loading it into her weapon. As she did so Rhys swore softly under her breath. “Shit.”

Raising an eyebrow Sodele spoke. “What?”

Rhys shook her head, before pumping the next cartridge into the firing chamber. “I’m low on ammo. Only got 15 shells left.”

Rolling his eyes Sodele responded. “You need a better weapon. That thing…” He gestured to her primitive weapon. “Is an antique at best, at worse…….it’s ancient. It doesn't even have a mass accelerator in it. How does it kill anything?”

It was a playful jab, something he and Rhys did from time to time. And although his argument was legitimate, she always took it at its playful value. “Well your suit didn't do you much good there did it? How good can it be if it don't got a built in spiddy sense to tell you if something is sneaking up on you?”

Opening his mouth to respond Sodele found himself cut off as Arris spoke her tone uncertain and tinged with a bit of remorse. “Please do not fight. We must focus or we will not survive this quest.”

Looking to Arris Sodele smiled. “Were just giving each other crap. Relax.”

Arris feel silent, nervously looking between Sodele and Rhys. Remaining silent himself Sodele looked at his companions, taking in the fatigue they seemed to be feeling. “Let’s rest for a moment. Catch our breath. Then we'll go on.”

Nodding at his words Rhys looked around for a moment before taking a seat on a small boulder that jutted up from the tunnel floor. Meanwhile Arris moved closer to Sodele before speaking. “How much deeper into this place must we go?”

Stepping out of the center of the tunnel Sodele dug into his pack, producing a small holo projector. Touching the sensitive pad Sodele watched as a small figure appeared and began to speak, the hood that obscured its face moving slightly as it spoke. “Ancient records show something of value hidden within an ancient mine. The Keepers of Noleg will pay a sum of 150 credits to anyone who can bring us the knowledge of what this value is. You need not hand in what you find. Knowledge is all we seek. All we require is video evidence of what was found and the journey you took to obtain it.”

A second later the holographic body vanished as the recording ended. Looking back to Arris Sodele spoke. “We have to go as far as we can.”

Arris looked at him, “what of the creatures we've encountered?”

Sodele shrugged before looking around the tunnel. Dozens of bodies of the little monsters littered the ground. Finding one that was mostly intact Sodele moved, kneeling down before pulling a small spherical device from his belt. Squeezing the side of the device Sodele watched as the flawless white ‘skin' of the sphere shifted and changed. Lines appeared along its surface, forming plates which floated up from the core before zooming through the air and swarming the creature’s body. A faint purple light began to radiate out from the plates, bathing the creature’s corpse and making it seems to glow. After a few seconds the core that remained in Sodele’s hand spoke. “ _ Creature shows signs of cataclysmic radiation and mutation. No life form in database matches specimen. Conclusion; unknown or unrecorded species detected. Scanning subject and Archiving discovery.” _

At the mention of the cataclysm Sodele nodded. In truth he'd half expected this. When they'd been on their way here he'd studied the map including in the request, noting that less than a mile away a calamicfault cut through the environment. He'd expected to find creatures affected by it. It would have been foolish to not. The plates finished their scans, quickly zooming back to the sphere before recovering it and melting together again, making his scanner look like a simple white sphere as it had before.

Straightening up Sodele spoke. “Obviously I’m not gunna risk our lives. But we could use the money. Plus who knows what's down here.”

From where she sat on her rock Rhys spoke. “Any guesses baldy as to what IS down here?”

Ignoring Rhys playful comment about his appearance Sodele shrugged. “This area used to be mined for precious metals and alloys. But the workers were driven away when the cataclysm hit and started bringing in creatures like our friends here.” as he spoke Sodele gestured to the dead creatures around them. “As for what could ‘be of great value’, could be anything. Old tech left here when this place was abandoned, maps showing where there are deposits of minerals, who knows.”

At his words Rhys let out a loud huff. “We can spend days searching these tunnels. We've only been here 20 minutes and we're already getting attacked. If we spend to long here then we'll get bogged down and worn out.”

Sodele bit his lip at Rhys’s words. She was right, and not that he'd ever admit it, but when it came to combat she was the most adept. Not a surprise when one considered the apocalyptic upbringing she’d endured. His suit may have given him many advantages over most of the creatures they MIGHT run into out here, but that wasn't an advantage they'd have forever. After so long he'd need to plug in and recharge it. The suit reacted to that thought; a small ticking sound rippling through his mind a moment before a small percentage popped up in the corner of his vision. 43%

Mentally Sodele swore. His little trick with the flames had used up more power than he'd expected it to. He'd been at 69% when they'd first landed on the planet. A result of him neglecting to charge it last night.  Looking to Rhys Sodele spoke, noting that the display of remaining power had vanished. “Ok, fair enough. We'll take 10 more minutes and look around. After that we'll turn in what we have.”

It wasn't a bad plan. Even if they didn't find what the keepers were looking for, they'd get paid for their discovery of a new special of cataclysm-beast. A discovery they could easily get 15 credits for. Jerking his head to Rhys, Sodele spoke. “Come on, clocks ticking.”

Rhys didn't respond, instead getting to her feet. As she did so she brought her weapon up, pumping a new shell into the firing chamber with another satisfactory metallic sound. “Let’s go then.”

Nodding in agreement Sodele turned, the microgenerators in his suit whirring up just enough to be ready if they encountered more creatures. But the tunnel seemed empty now. As they slowly moved forward, the lights that hung from their belts illuminated the walls and ceiling, showing them a tunnel that had clearly been carved from the earth. The walls of the tunnel were almost completely smooth; no doubt a result of who knew how many years of tools and machines moving passed them. Above them the ceiling was rougher, more natural looking although smoothed so as to prevent any sharpened rocks from falling on anyone underneath.

The tunnel stretched onward, the slight angling if the floor telling Sodele they were moving down, deeper under the ground. Occasionally the walls glinted, small pockets of minerals catching the light a reflecting the light. The tunnel was silent, save for the occasional whistle of wind that rushed down from the surface. Suddenly a new formed looked out of the darkness at them. Nervously Sodele readied himself, half for fighting and half to run if it turned out to be another monster. Slowly their lights illuminated the form, a large industrial miner; rusted and dried beyond functionality. Now it sat here, half buried in the sands that had taken who knew how many years to trickle down here and half bury the ancient robot. Glancing to Rhys and Arris Sodele moved forward, allowing more of his light to illuminate the robots rusted and broken body.

It was a fairly typical design for a mining bot, one that hadn't needed to change in a few hundred years. A roughly humanoid ‘chest and shoulders’. The bot’s lower half was buried in the sand, but was surly some kind of treads or conveyor so as to not get stuck if the ground it was on, was uneven. A set of arms, one equipped with a pulse pick so as to dig through hardened material while its other hand housed a sonic vibration until for more loosely packed substances. Sprouting from the bot’s back, a mechanical arm hung limply now but had once been used to collect precious stones or alloys and stow them in a special receptacle built into the bot’s back for storage. It was as he looked over the bot’s back that Sodele felt his eyes widen. The bot’s storage receptacle was closed, meaning it had shut down before anyone had been able to collect whatever it had gathered. Was it possible…..

Glancing to Arris and Rhys Sodele spoke. “Hangon, gunna pry its collector and see if there is anything valuable.”

Arris nodded while Rhys spoke. “4 minutes left. Make it quick.”

Rolling his eyes Sodele moved forward, leaning in as he drew closer to the bot’s collector. The bot’s paint was pretty much gone, with only a few small flakes of the original white color clinging to it still. Running his fingers slowly over the metal casing Sodele bit his lip, focusing as much as he could. He needed to find the seam of the casing. If he could find that he could follow it back to the release mechanism and trigger a manual release of the internal locks keeping the collector closed. Most people would have tries bashing the basing open, or melting it with a plasma torch; but those would almost never work. Mining bots were built to be tough, to be able to survive cave ins, falling debris and even explosions. Banging on it or melting it would take hours if not being outright impossible.

A smile spread across Sodele’s face as he found what he was looking for a small divot in the metal that was the seam. Following the seam upwards Sodele quickly clambered up onto the now defunct robot, using his hands to wipe away the dirt that coated the bot. The seam led to an electronic housing, useless to him since the bot had no power and would probably explode if he were to try and power it back up. But, most bots had a manual release in case of a situation where they lost power.

Sure enough after a few minutes of searching Sodele found what he was looking for. Putting his hand over the release Sodele focused, his suit spinning up and delivering a few low frequency sonic vibrations to the hardened sand that was clogging the release. Under the sonic vibrations Sodele felt the casing vibrate and shake, making some of the sand from on top fall to the ground in little showers. After a few moments he shifted, his fingers digging in through the newly loosened sand. Looking to Arris and Rhys Sodele spoke. “Maybe….take a step back? Just in case.”

Arris nodded, moving back and joining Rhys a few feet further back. Turning his attention back to the casing Sodele wrapped his fingers around the release lever before pulling on it with as much strength as he could muster. For a moment the handle resisted, the ancient metal groaning against his attempts to move it. But a second later a loud metallic clanging thunk echoed through the tunnel as the handle lost its battle and turned in the direction he was twisting. Sodele grunted, struggling against the aged handle as he turned it a full 360 degrees before pressing his palm against it and pushing it against the casing. A second later the casing shuddered as the internal locks disengaged. Suddenly the casing swung up, making Sodele shift and sway off balance for a moment as the thing he'd been putting most of his weight on suddenly opened up. Grabbing wildly with his free hand Sodele managed to grab hold of the bot’s head, using it to keep himself from toppling off the robot.

From where they stood Sodele could hear Rhys snickering slightly at his clumsiness. But he ignored her laughter, instead turning his attention towards the contents of the collector which they could now see. He'd hoped the collector would have one or two samples of ore and minerals, but instead the collector seemed full of samples with dozens of chucks of varying sizes meeting his gaze. Scrambling down off the robot Sodele moved in on the samples with Arris and Rhys right behind him. Examining the sample he held Sodele felt his hops drop. He'd been hoping for something good, perhaps Emeril or Dalactium. Dropping the sample back into the collector Sodele sighed. “Damn. It's just gold. Practically usele-”

“WHAT?!”

Arris’s voice echoed through the tunnel, seemingly magnified by the barren stone walls. A moment later Sodele found himself staggered slightly as Arris rushed passed before grabbing the same sample he'd been holding. Blinking at her Sodele watched as she stared at him incredulously. “How can you say that? It’s GOLD. It's incredibly valuable. Why, would could get a fortune for this!”

Blinking at Arris’s words Sodele watched as his elf companion quickly pulled out her pack before grabbing as much of the gold ore as she could. Remaining silent Sodele watched. He supposed in a manner Arris was right. Gold had little value to most advanced cultures, many having moved away from physical currency and instead embarrassing the digital credit. A few less advanced societies and cultures however still used the metal as currency. So in a way Arris was correct, they would have a fortune, in those less advanced societies. On his other side Rhys moved too, bringing her pack out and stuffing a few smaller chunks into the bag. As she did so she caught Sodele’s watching gaze. “What? I might be able to trade it for something. Later on.”

Sighing to himself Sodele gave in. Arris was almost giddy at the find and even staunch and stern Rhys seemed interested. Pulling his own pack out Sodele did his best to collect as much of the ore as he could, securing in it is pack before turning to watch his companions do the same. As they did so, Rhys spoke. “Times up. Let's go back.”

Rolling his eyes Sodele looked around. In truth he wanted to keep going. They'd barely spent any time exploring this old mine. For all he knew the ‘valuable something’ could be just five more minutes in. As if she knew what he was thinking Rhys spoke. “Don’t even think about it baldy. We barely fended off that ambush. And I’ll bet you anything the deeper we go the more of those things there are. We're not equipped to fight our way through.”

Sighing sadly Sodele nodded. “Ok. Fine, let’s go.”

Making their way back up the tunnel proved a little harder than when they'd come down it. Their packs weighed down by the gold ore made each step take a little more strength than usual. By the time they could see the sunlight streaming through the tunnel entrance they were well ready it. Trudging up and out of the abandoned mine Sodele paused for a moment, his hair rustling in the breeze that sand around them shift and ripple like water.

Immediately in front of them was their ship, an old Hauler style Kinasark ship. Beyond the ship the barren white rocky desert stretched out, seeming to go on forever until it connected with the light purple sky above. If he squinted it truly did loom like an ocean with waves of heat acting and water and roving dunes looking as if they were massive swells. Most of the planet was like this, barren and desolate with the occasional outpost for research or mining. A few small cities or villages dotted the surface, but no major cities or settlements called Brrak home.

The ship had been a lucky find, and while he and Arris hoped to someday pretty her up a bit, for now she seemed doomed to look like a rusted and battered hunk of junk. At one time the ship had undoubtedly been beautiful and sleek. As a  **_Phallix_ ** shuttle it was modeled after an ancient shuttle design from a planet called earth. He'd seen a picture of the old design one, it had been basic. Liquid fueled engines and a single set of wings. The Phallix was a bit more advanced with a double set of large stabilizing wings each set slightly offset from each other and then sets of smaller wings near the front for enhanced maneuverability. All that powered by a set of older but trustworthy engines that could easily get them out of most planet’s grip whenever they needed.

As they made their way towards the ship Sodele could not help but note the bare metal sides and the occasional groan and creak it let off as it swayed slightly in the wind. Boarding the ship was a slightly tricky affair. Most modern ships had a crew detector that would open the doors and lower a boarding ramp for them automatically; their ship was anything but modern. As a result Sodele groaned slightly, hefting the extra weight as Rhys handed him her pack. Grunting under the added weight Sodele watched as Rhys moved and clambered up a small metal rung ladder welded to the side of the ship before pulling open a small panel and turning the release lever, which unlocked the door and allowed it to open.

Sodele groaned, grunting as he dragged his and Rhys’s packs onto the ship. As he stepped into the ship he looked around slightly nervously as the ship groaned in response to the new weight. Dropping his pack in the corner Sodele groaned, rolling his shoulder and stretching his back now that he was no longer carrying a 60 pound pack, or Rhys’s. As he did so his gaze roved around the inside of the ship. In truth it did look better than the outside, but not by much. Several panels along the walls were being held on by only two or three bolts, rather than original number. Their ‘cargo hold’ was really a durasteel bin they'd welded and strapped to the back wall of the ship. Above them several sections of wires were exposed, allowing for quick rewiring of the ship systems. Despite all these flaws the ship hummed with power, ready and waiting to take them wherever they wanted to go.

Dropping his pack into the ‘cargo hold’ Sodele made his way past Rhys who was unloading her weapons and placing them back in the weapons rack that hung from the wall. A few feet later he passed Arris who was busy shaking out the sand that had managed to slip between her skin and armor. He did his best not to star as he walked by. Unlike his suit and Rhys’s duster, Arris’s armor seemed to be more primitive. Her armor consisted of a pair of thick, industrial style pants with several pockets sewn into the legs a few thin guards of metal for protection, a long sleeved grey shirt covered by a chest plate that protected Arris’s stomach, ribs and heart before curving outwards a bit to accommodate her breasts, and a set of metal guards that protected her forearms and wrists from attack. Also on her right hand was a thick fabriced glove, used to keep her bow string from cutting into her flesh.

As he passed her Sodele did his best to keep his gaze averted. Putting a great deal of effort to keep his eyes forward even as Arris unhooked her chest plate before grabbing her shirt and hoisting it over her head; exposing her bare skin and breasts as she vigorously shook the sand from her shirt. He sped up a little at that, not wanting her to see the faint blush that was growing along his face and think he was peeking or leering at her. Quickly Sodele left the main deck of the ship, moving through an archway and stepping into the bridge of the shuttle. In front of him two chairs sat ready and waiting for a pilot to take and controls and pilot the ship. Dropping himself into the right seat Sodele took a moment to go over the holographic display that sprang to life in front of him.

Unsurprisingly the shuttles batteries were at full strength, the solar plating on the top of the shuttle a constant source of free power. Which meant their shields would have no issue staying at full charge as they broke from Brrak’s atmosphere. Also the solar plating kept the grav-jet on, allowing the shuttle to float above the ground, rather than having to sit on the ground. The engines however, that was a different story. Fuel was expensive, which mean that each drop they burned was costly and valuable. And based off what the system was telling him, they'd need to get more. Groaning slightly Sodele moved, snapping in place the archaic safety harness. Tapping the engine primer controls Sodele felt the engines start to rumble as they began to spin up and come alive. Twisting in his seat slightly he made a fist, banging it on the metal wall, signaling his intent to start their departure. They'd worked out this signal a long time ago. Without it Arris and Rhys would find themselves thrown about the deck as he left the planet.

A minute later he got a response, a few short bangs on one of the walls behind him, the signal he could start. Brining his hands up Sodele took a deep breath, watching as the holo-controls moved and took the form of the launch, thruster and throttle controls. Moving his hands into position Sodele felt the shuttle shake and slowly move to follow his commands. He moved slowly, rotating the shuttle so it was facing the large open expanse of white sand that he'd seen from the mine entrance. A small adjustment to the throttle and the ship started to move. He started slowly at first, making sure the displays were all showing normal readings before starting to increase the speed. And watching as the world began to speed up behind him. Glancing at the display Sodele watched as their speed grew, he liked to build up the speed like this, it helped the exit of the atmosphere be a bit smoother since the sudden boost from the thrusts wasn't as jarring.

As the speed continued to increase he adjusted the angle of the wings, coaxing the shuttle away from the planet surface and up into the air. They were climbing now, a new display popping up and showing him there altitude. As they rose into the sky their view changed, growing from a few miles, to a dozen, then hundreds. Far off in the distance the landscaped changed, abruptly morphing from the white sand and dunes and instead becoming blue domes mountains that stuck out from the surrounding area. They were higher in the air now, the purple sky was starting to thin now, and the inky blackness of the infinite space beyond was starting to peek through. It was no or never.

Reaching back to pound on the wall again Sodele moved, his finger dipping down to press the holographic button that controlled the thrusters. A moment later the entire ship jerked, the indicator showing him their speed, jumping several digits as the shuttle’s thrusting kicked in. Sodele gasped, the sudden force of the acceleration pushing him into his seat. Luckily his hands were held in place by particle locks so he could continue to maneuver and pilot them, even if he was being pushed back from the force. In front of him the display began to change, the gentle purple giving way as they broke through Brrak’s atmosphere. Despite this he kept the thrusters on, allowing the speed to drive them forward away from the planet. He'd have to leave them on, without them it would take hours to break free from Brrak’s gravity. Beyond them the infinite sea of black space stretched onward, broken up by only the smallest twinkle of distance stars, and the occasional asteroid which streamed and flicked passed them.

In the old days asteroids had been a problem, able to punch holes through starship hauls. All of that had changed with the passage of time and the invention of durasteel. The heavy and impossibly strong material could resist puncture from the smaller asteroid and even glancing blows from bigger ones. Add on to that their shields which would either repel or incinerate anything in their way and they were 1,000X safer than earlier pilots had been. Glancing at the display Sodele eased back on the thrusters, slowly reducing their power until they turned off on their own. Most pilots would have punched their jump drive by now; most pilots could afford to be a bit wasteful with fuel. It saved them a bit if they drifted on their own momentum for a bit, drifting as far away from Brrak and its large red sun. So they could be as far away from its gravity as possible.

Unlike most jump drives theirs was not some mammoth hulking galaxy runner, but instead a smaller and cheaper system jumper. The result was their ship was slower, taking longer to cross a distance than the much bigger ships; but unlike the bigger ships they could run longer without having to refuel. But even their fuel efficiency had its limits, which they were quickly reaching.

“Hello.”

Turning at the voice Sodele watched as Arris appeared in the cabin before dropping herself into the extra seat. Smiling at her Sodele responded. “Hey, you ok?”

Arris nodded. “I am ok.”

Sodele nodded, grateful that Arris was ok. After a few moments he spoke. “What’s Rhys doing?”

Arris shrugged. “She is napping.”

At this Sodele chuckled slightly. He'd always marveled at Rhys’s ability to sleep almost anywhere. Of course he probably shouldn't have been surprised. She did come from a dimension where her planet was in a constant state of civil war and conflict. So a few bumps and jolts while traveling through space was probably nothing for her. Glancing at the display Sodele watched as the holosystems responded to his gaze. Several stars became highlighted, info about the planets orbiting them appearing around them. After a few moments another display sprang up, showing how strong Brrak’s gravitational pull on them was. They were getting closer to being able to make the jump.

“Do you think we found what the Seekers of truth were looking for?”

Sodele shrugged, leaning back in his seat. “I don't know. It’s hard to tell with them. No matter what we'll get a bit for the cataclist-beast we found. But…...I don't know if we found what they were looking for. Unless they think a stockpile of gold ore is valuable.”

This time Arris rolled her eyes. “The ore will be valuable. I assure you. We'll be able to sell it or trade it for sure.”

Sodele raised an eyebrow. “Its chunks of rock. It's not THAT valuable.”

Arris shook her head incredulously. “I’ll never understand your world Sodele. You treat science and technology as if it were a gift from the gods themselves. Yet you treat gifts from the planets as though they were nothing.”

Sodele shrugged. “We don't use gold anymore. It’s not valuable save for jewelry or ornamentation. But still in ore? It's a hard sell.”

Arris shook her head again. “Mark my words. We may not get your fancy credits, but we'll make enough to trade for things we need.”

Sodele only chuckled and smiled. He was sure she was right, even if they could only trade the gold with the slightly more ceremonial or primitive races they would get SOMETHING for it. But it wouldn't be enough to buy most of the higher tech things they'd need. Still, trading and not having to use credits to buy food or basic supplies….it was better than the alternative.

Glancing at the display Sodele found they were far enough away from Brrak that the planet’s gravitational drag was minimal. Sure they could keep drifting, but it would just be miniscule drops. Jerking his head Sodele spoke. “Suppose we'll find out soon enough.”

Arris chuckled but moved, bracing herself against the chair as Sodele’s hands began to pull up the controls for their jump drive. As he did so the display changed, a series of calculations streaming across the surface as the jump drive started to activate. For a moment the ship seemed to freeze in space, all sound seemed to vanish from its insides. A second later a kind of pulse washed through them, a kind of deep shaking vibration that brought with it a deep low hum as the drive reached full power and turned on. The hum was intense, all consuming, able to be felt in every square inch of metal and in every bone and muscle in their body. But the vibrations were more than that, more than just a physical sensation. They changed the sounds of the ship, making some sounds seem closer while others seemed further away. Movement in the ship changed to. Out of the corner of his eye Sodele could see Arris turning to glance at him, her movements echoing and wavering in his vision; making it seem like there were several versions and copies of Arris looking at him.

He knew what was happening. The jump drive was generating a temporary disruption in time and space, allowing them to in effect ‘jump' hours at a time in less than a few seconds. It was dangerous technology; if a single calculation was wrong they could become stuck in the disruption, safe inside the ship but unable to return to the state of stable time. But such risks were necessary, indeed a must if they were to reach their destination; The Nexus


	2. Chapter 2

Cutting the power to the jump drive Sodele felt their shuttle groan and settle as the temporal bubble that had enveloped the ship evaporation, making it look as if for a moment they were encased in water. As the temporal bubble boiled away the nexus slowly came into view in front of them. In front of them a blue and brown planet hung in space, covering one side of the planet seemed to be covered by some kind of large metallic star like structure. Which wrapped around the surface from one edge of the planet to another. As the last of the disruptions boiled away their sensors kicked in, instantly highlighting several of the cargo freighters orbiting the planet. A moment later several friend or foe noticed popped up, identifying the ships as members of the merchant’s collective and therefore under protection of the galaxy patrol. Dismissing the notifications Sodele began to issue commands to the ship, making them slowly drift towards the planet. As he did so a new notice popped up on the screen, an alert that the other ships were scanning them; no doubt monitoring them so as to make sure they were truly friendly.

He could understand their caution. The cargo freighters were massive, easily carrying several hundred million credits worth of cargo; a tempting target for any would be pirate or marauder who had the balls to take them on. Sometimes he wondered what he’d be like as a pirate, but those thoughts always stayed just that; thoughts. He’d never risk his life or Arris’s or Rhys’s lives on such a foolhardy ideal as living a life of crime.  Being a scaver may not have been the most glamorous life he could have; but it was the life he was happy with.

This turned out to be a good thing as a few moments later a new ship came out from view behind the planet. Sodele’s eyes widened slightly as he found a Galaxy patrol capital ship and a dreadnought slowly drifting out from behind the planet to scan him. for a moment he considered cutting power to the engines so the galaxy patrol didn’t think they were trying to avoid being scanned. The capital ship alone was more than enough to kill them a 1000X over. But the dreadnaught, combined with the firepower from the capital ship and the freighters which were far from defenseless; they’d have enough power to reduce an entire planet to smoke slag and glass.

Giving the freighters a wide berth Sodele maneuvered their shuttle and aimed it towards the planet’s surface. As he did so the shuttle’s com systems pinged, a signal that one of the ships was trying to communicate with them. Responding to the signal sodele opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a firm no nonsense voice which spoke over him. “Person shuttle in sector 1,6,5,9; identify yourself!”

Looking nervously to arria, sodele responded. “this is shuttle Artemis. We're hoping to turn in a bounty posted by the Seekers of Noleg.”

His words were met by a few moments of silence before, “very well. You're cleared for entry to the planet. Don't cause any trouble, or else.”

Sodele rolled his eyes. “oh don't worry, I have no intention of causing trouble.”

The other ship didn't respond, instead disconnecting the communication and resuming their orbit around the planet.Glancing nervously to arris, sodele made sure their course was set; making sure that there would be no possible way for them to mistake any action they might take. Slowly the planet began to loom closer, allowing them to make out further details of the nexus. Along the arms of the metal star there were several collections of faint shimmers, a sign that water was collecting along the grooves and channels. Fanning outwards the shimmers moved, feeding into pockets of green that lined the station’s arms. A sign that the water was being used to run farms and not just build up from recent storms. Occasionally a ship or shuttle would appear on the horizon, quickly passing them as they left the planet. 

Adjusting the angle of their entry sodele aimed their vessel towards the center of the large metallic star. The shuttle rattled as it began to pass through the atmosphere of the planet, but within a few seconds the shields kicked in, enveloping them and making the entry much smoother. Drifting down through the clouds sodele found that activity was much more frequent now that they were planetside. Dozens of small swoops and skiffs darted and moved through the air, carrying who knew what kind of goods to their respective merchants. They needed to make a decision now. The central pillar of the nexus was the safest place for them to land. But, it was also the most costly. Landing there, even for a few hours could cost almost as much as the fuel they needed to purchase. But if they landed at one of the ports along the station’s radiating arms, security was less present; meaning they could run into dangerous situations.

Biting his lip sodele weighed his options before adjuzting the shuttle’s controls; aiming them away from the central spire and instead towards on of the far arms.  As much as he'd like the extra security, their wallet was the deciding factor; they simply couldn't afford the security AND the fuel they needed. They woukd still be relatively safe at one of the lower ports, and if they left Rhys guarding the ship then they should be alright. Adjusting the ship’s altitude sodele watched as the arm of the station seemed to grow out of the ground, revealing that it was not fkush with the ground as it looked, but actually several hundred feet tall. Flying along the wall sodele angled their ship, slowing their speed before turning the vessel and flying into a large opening in the metal surface. A short ways into the tunnel sodele brought their ship to a near stop, cutting power to the engines and instead using only their grav jets to maneuver them through the port. Around them ships and vessels hung, suspended by large crane arms tipped with a magnetic binding plate. In truth they almost looked like insects clinging to a wall.

Nevertheless sodele maneuvered their ship, finding an empty space and slowly lifting them up until they were under the magnetic plate. Tapping the communication system sodele spoke. “this is personal shuttle Artemis requesting to dock in bay 34.”

After a moment a cool automated electronic voice responded. “request granted.”

Hovering in place sodele waited, holding the ship as steady as he could. A second later thd ship shuddered, as the dock’s magnetic binders kicked on, creating a magnetic field around the ship keeping them in place. Waiting for a few more moments to make sure the binders were fully power before cutting the power to the grav jets. As he did so the system pinged, again notifying him that someone was trying to communicate with them. Reaponding to the message sodele spoke. “Heyo Donnie. It’s sodele. How you doing?”

After a few seconds of silence  male voice responded, its tone amused and pleasant. “heyo sodele. Whatcha doing back here so soon?”

As he responded sodele smiled at arris. He knew the alien on the other side of the message. Donnie was a Kaparian; a race of odd turtle looming aliens, that he'd met  few years ago when he'd first started traveling to the nexus. “just turning in some stuff to the Seekers of Noleg.”

Donnie was silent for a few more moments before responding. “oh gosh, you're working for those weirdiess now? Never figured youd buy into their particular brand of mumbo bubcus.”

Sodele chuckled. “no no, just turning in a mission they posted. They're credits are as good as anyone else's.”

Donnie responded a moment later, his tone a tad more serious than before. “speaking of credits, you have enough for the docking fee right? Can't let you stay otherwise.”

This time sodele rolled his eyes. “yeah donnie, I got your money. Have I ever not had it?” As he spoke sodele pulled up his credit counter, sending a small ping so donnie could confirm that he had enough credits to cover the fee. After another second donnie responded. 

“good, glad to hear it. Just remember, fee is good for one day. You wanna stay overnight its extra.”

Sodele again rolled his eyes. “yeah yeah, the credits should hit the account any moment. Wanna lower the walkway so we can get off?”

There was about a minute if silence, no doubt as donnie waited for confirmation that the credits to cover the docking fee had been received. After another moment donnie responded. “have a safe time sodele.”

Rolling his eyes sodele didn't respond, instead getting to his feet as the communication channel closed. Making his way from the cabin sodele paused in slight amusement as he found Rhys had laid out across the seats that lined one of the walls and seemed to be fast asleep. Sighing to himself sodele moved, walking over to where Rhys lay before bending over and reaching out to gently shake her shoulder. “Hey, Rhys it ti-AHH!”

his voice cracked in pain as Rhys jerked, her hand snapping up to grab his wrist in a vice like grip. In a half asleep voice Rhys spoke. “Cop a feel and you lose your hand.”

Struggling against Rhys’s grip sodele growled. A moment later Rhys jerked, her eyes snapping open as a mild electric shock flashed through her body from where she had grabbed him. Straightening up sodele spoke. “where here. You're watching the ship.”  

Smirking to himself sodele turned away, ignoring Rhys as she told him to do something physically impossible to himself. Igboring her sords sodele moved and made his way to their ‘cargo hold’ reaching in and grabbing the satchel he'd filled with the gold ore they'd found. Heafting the full satchel sodele slung the strap over his shoulder before turning, finding that arris had followed him and was collecting her bag too, while Rhys still glared at him. Ignoring her look sodele moved, reaching out and pulling the release lever to open the door. As the door swung open the sounds of the port rushed at them. All around thdm a near deafening whirr of tools, ships and machinery surrounded them. Mixed in with the whirring was the occasionally hissing as a ship release a small blast of built up heat or pressure. 

The area in front f the ship was empty, with no way for them to leave unless they wanted to step out and fall several stories to their death. Remaining still for a moment sodele watched as a mobile catwalk slowly rose up to meet them; the drones under the catwalk maneuvering it into position so they could leave their ship. Nervously sodele crossed the catwalk as quickly as possible, not bothering to look around but instead his vision ecoming focussed on a small open doorway on the other side of the catwalk. In truth, this was one thing he hated about the lower ports. With each step the mobile catwalk shook slightly. The drones under it doing them best to keep walk stable as he traversed it, making him feel like he was going to slip sideways and plummet several stories down to his death. Occasionally the walk would shudder and tremor, a result of the drones adjusting their positioning to keep the walk level; but each shudder made his heart jolt in his chest.

Quickly stepping off the walkway sodele breathed a sigh of relief, his heartbeat slowing and returning to normal as he found himself on solid ground. Stepping a little deeper into the corridor sodele turned, making sure arris had followed him and had safely crossed the catwalk. Sure enough arris was right behind him, having following him across the walk. A little ways beyond her, the drones carrying the walk beeped and whirred, their jets firing as they flew away, taking the walk with them; no doubt to help another crew exit or board their shuttle. But a new voice pulled him attention, making him turn and face the robot that was standing next to the doorway they’d just stepped through. Looking the bot up and down sodele found himself looking at an older model service bot. The bot looked a bit like a tadpole, with a large rounded body while its ‘tail' was angled downward. A small blue glow told sodele the bot had been rigged to use a small plasma jet to hover and move rather than the old fusion engine they normally used. A series of three electronic eyes, each one held and controlled by a single spindly, Almost insect looking stalks swiveled to look at him.

“will your shuttle need any servicing while in port sir?”

Sodele nodded, “yeah, can we get a half tank of fuel for our jump drive?”

The bot’s eyes flickered at his response. “only half sir?”

Sodele nodded. “yeah, just half.”

The bot remained silent for a few moments, no doubt trying to make sense of his request. Taking hold of the situation sodele continued. “we can't afford a full tank. So please fill the tank up halfway. That way we can have SOME fuel.”

The bot remained silent for a moment longer, its electronic eyes staring unblinkingly at sodele as it processed his request. Then, “very well sir. A half tank of jumper fuel shall be charged directly to your account in addition to your docking fees.”

Sodele smiled and nodded, adjusting the pack of ‘precious’ ore on his shoulder. “glad to hear it.” 

As the service bot floated away to carry out his request, sodele turned looking to arris who was still behind him. “shall we?”

Arris nodded, following sodele down the narrow and slightly cramped corridor they were in as it emerged out into a large atrium. All around then pilots and their crew bustled about. Some of them called to each other, making plans to meet up later, or barking out changes to their schedule. Many of them were carrying small durasteel containers, no doubt hauling their smaller more portable cargo to the merchants they hoped to sell to. Making sure he moved slow enough so arris could keep up, sodele made his way through the crowds, ducking and weaving when necessary. All around him aliens of various forms and sizes jostled and bustled around them, making their way towards a series of lifts that would take them from the port to the upper levels of the station. Pausing for a moment sodele considered the lines in front of them. Some of the lifts weren’t going to the market district, some of them branched off and instead were headed to the factions centers or the various embassies that were established on the station. 

Finding the nearest lift that was going to the markets, sodele moved into the line while behind him arris did the same. Luckily for them the wait for the lift wasn't very long, and soon enough they found themselves crammed into the lift with a dozen other travelers. For a few seconds sodele found himself worried, would they be squished between the different aliens? the aliens behind them were in a hurry, jostling them forward in an attempt to force their way onto the lift. But luckily they were spared as one of the port workers; a large muscular vaguely turtle-esqe creature with flecks of red covering his face, shouted at the jostlers to back off before slamming the gate to the lift closed. As sodele breathed a small sigh of relief the lift guard pounded on the metal gate as a signal for the lift to start moving.

Beneath them the lift rumbled and rattled, the motors that controlled whining slightly as they began to slide upwards. As the lift moved, several of the passengers grumbled, no doubt annoyed by the lifts slow accession towards the upper levels of the station. For his part sodele turned to look at arris, watching as she adjusted the satchel of the gold ore shed slung over her shoulder. “heavy?”

Arris turned, looking at him before shaking her head. “nothing I can't handle.”

Sodele nodded, he had no doubt that the satchel arris was carrying was lighter to her than it would be for him. He'd seen her lift and carry weights that he struggled under. It was a mistake he'd seen several people make, assuming that because of her slimmer frame and smaller stature that she was physically weak. But he'd seen her take on several attackers at once, using only her simple sword to hold off armed attackers or wild creatures. It was a common mistake others made. The slavers he'd rescued her from had made a similar mistake. That's how she'd ended up escaping their restraints and overpowering them in the first place. Of course that surprise had worn out quickly and the slavers had begun to hunt for her in a group. 

Shaken from his thoughts sodele found that arris was speaking. “did you want to come with me to the markets?”

In response to her question he shrugged. “how about we split up at first? I need to turn in the mission and the creature we found. While i'm doing that you can see what you can get for the ore we found.”

At his words arris raised an eyebrow. “ok. But mark my words, we'll get more for the ore than the mission AND the creature.”

This time it was sodele who raised an eyebrow. “is that so?”

Arria nodded. “it is. And ill maKe a bet with you on just that.”

A smile spread across sodele’s face as he moved, reaching out to offer his hand to arris. “YOUR ON.”

A moment later arris took his hand, giving it a surprisingly firm shake. “deal!”

Opening his mouth to ask what the stakes would be sodele broke off as the motors that were lifting them higher and higher came to a stop. A signal that one of the riders needed to get off. Indeed a second later the sounds of shuffling and movement came from behind them. Shifting and moving out of the way sodele watched as the Tetrodarian who towered above all the other riders began to move forward, his heavily scaled and armored hide making the lift groan slightly under the weight of his movements as he shuffled forward and stepped off the lift. Along with the Tetrodarian a few others got off, vanishing into the crowd of the lower districts; no doubt on their way to some seedy bar or shop.

But the lift began to move again, sliding them up and out of the depths of the station and towards the market district. The rest of the ride was short, soon enough sodele tilted his head back slightly as glowing white sunlight glared down at him. Shifting slightly sodele watched as the gate to the lift rattled, slowly lifting upwards again and allowing them to step out and onto the raised platform they'd been carried too. Stepping out of the lift sodele blinked, looking around at the new area he and arris had found themselves in.

Buildings flanked them on either side, each of them only a few stories tall; creating a kind of canyon for them to wander through. Setup in front of the buildings dozens of stalls and tents had been setup, allowing traveling merchants to sell their wares and call to those who passed by. Looking to arris, sodele spoke. “shall we?”

As he spoke he gestured to the markets that stretched out before them. Arris smiled, an amused and humor filled smile before nodding and adopting a slightly dramatic tone of voice. “why thank you sir knight. Yes, let us away.” 

Chuckling to himself sodele moved with her, the two of them making their way down from the platform and into the crowds of aliens and people that filled the markets.

Instantly the sounds of the markets assaulted them, almost to the point of overwhelming them. A dull roar echoed all around them, a combination of merchants calling the passersby, people negotiating prices on items they were interested and the general din as travelers talked amongst themselves. To their right sodele watched as a group of mercenaries argued with a small arms dealer, something about the price of one of his weapons being above what the device was worth. To their left a merchant called out, trying to draw their attentions to the small charms that lined the multiarmed alien’s shelves. In the back of his mind sodele found that recognized some of the charms. Small baubles, amulets and talismans that hung around one's neck or wrist. They were far from just decorative though. He'd seen adventures use them to produce light in darkened passages, take and store images of things they'd seen, keep track of what direction they were traveling in, and several other useful but minor effects.

If he was honest, he'd bought a few of the baubles before, breaking them down for their components when he'd been building his suit. But that had been over a year ago, and right now buying trinkets and baubles was not their goal. Instead they moved on, allowing a group of Talis monks to walk in front of them, their jet black robes seeming to pull in and absorb the sun’s light as it shown down on them. Following the road they were on, sodele watched as the booths around them changed, morphing from simple popup up stands and instead becoming established and moving indoors, becoming small storefronts and boutiques. Glancing at the shops sodele made a mental notes, spotting which shops were new; having sprung up since his last visit to the Nexus. Most of the shops were the same, not a surprise. merchants that could afford to buy a storefront, at the prices the merchant’s collective charged normally had no issue keeping up with their payments and as a result rarely moved or disappeared. But it happened sometimes, and the merchant’s collective was extremely strict and unyielding. 

The moment a merchant missed more than a single monthly tithe, the merchant was gone. Thugs would decent on the shop, forcible pack-up everything inside, confiscate however much they needed to make up what they were owed and then throw the shop owner out, sometimes literally into the streets with their goods. He'd seen it happen a few times, watching the oddly polite yet brutal process take place. Some people had said the process was unnecessary and even cruel. But anyone who entered I to business with the merchant collective knew what they were getting into. The collective was strict but fair, making sure anyone they worked with knew exactly what was expected of them down to the smallest details. The first infraction was a courtesy, everyone makes mistakes, even the collective understood that. But they'd also make sure you knew exactly how you messed up and what you should have done differently. But upon the second mistake, you were gone. 

But the quality of the shops here was much improved over the smaller popup merchants. From the windows of the shops sodele could see just about anything he could think of, for sale. Some shops sold tech, their gadgets and gizmos lighting up and whirling about in the windows. Other stores displayed clothes, the bright and extravagant fashions making sodele’s head spin a bit. In truth he'd never understood high fashion. he never liked having to wear fancy clothes, although he had been made to wear such outfits whenever the Mechanic’s guild hosted galls or festivals. Luckily though, such events only happened once or twice a year. 

Not all shops sold items. Pausing for a moment sodele examined a new store that had appeared, the bright flashing lights in the window advertising a variety of ships for sale. But sodele found his attention pulled from the shops, and instead directed towards a large four-way intersection that spanned out before them. In the middle of the intersection, a large golden structure jutted up out of the road. The object was as large a building, constructed of cour golden spiralling pillars that produced beams of light that bent and twisted through the air before connecting and meeting one another high above their heads. from their the co joined beams sank downwards, striking a black obelisk which split the light apart. From their the light dissolved and fractured becoming small wafting refractions which spread out along the walls of the intersection. But this display of light and technology was not what made this ‘fountain' memorably, although it certainly didn't not hurt it. No, the fact that the fountain, like the nexus was just another thing that had been brought about and deposited her by a cataclyst-storm; is what amazed most people.

The fountain illustrated what was so unknown about the cataclyst-storms; no one knew when or where they'd hit or what they would bring when they were done. Sometimes they came, raged for hours or days on end, and when they cleared nothing had changed, at least nothing perceptible go to the population. Other times the storms could last for the span of a few minutes and deposit unknown debris like the fountain or the mountains back on Brrak.

“it's rather beautiful.”

Shaken from his thoughts, sodele turned; looking to arria who was also looking at the fountain as well. Nodding slightly in agreement sodele spoke. “this is where we part ways I think.”

Areia nodded too, giving sodele a small smile. It was true, the temple for the seekers of Noleg was to the north. While the cultures that arria wished to barter and trade with were to the east. This intersection could lead them to both destinations, but they'd have to split up if they wished to complete their tasks without going over their allotted time at the docks. After another moment arris spoke. ““is there anything specific you'd like me to try and trade for?”

At this question sodele bit his lip. There were a few things he'd hope to get. But those things would not be cheap or readily available in the markets that would accept the gold ore. “see if you can trade some of it for a few crates of real food. We have mostly that instant ration stuff. Might be nice to have something with substance once in a while.”

It was true. For the most part their daily meals consisted of preserved and instant ready meal packets. The contents of the packets were formulated specifically for humans, to provide them will all the necessary vitamins and proteins they would need for the day. But they tasted almost painfully bland. And when combined with their texture of wet mush, they could be downright disgusting at times. although much of the disgust could be mitigated if they mixed some form of real food into the mush to make a kind of instant stew. 

At his request arris nodded, no doubt thinking the same thing he was. “agreed.”

For a moment sodele shifted, slightly unsure if what to say. Arris stood before him, looking at him as though she expected him to say something important or meaningful; and yet….

“be safe.”

It was the only thing he could think to say. And even if it was good advice he still felt foolish and awkward saying it.

Nevertheless arris nodded. “I shall. You as well. We shall meet again back on the ship.

And with that they parted ways. Sodele watched as arris moved, hefting the bag of gold ore over her shoulder before vanishing into the crowd and heading towards the cultures that she could trade with. 


End file.
